Hope's Survival
by Daletiel
Summary: Evil always tries its hardest to snuff out hope above all else. Can the boy who bears its mark survive a conflict he neither knows about nor wants to fight?


DISCLAIMER: Insert standard disclaimer about how I don't own Digimon or any characters associated with it. All I own are the situations and completely original digimon and/or characters that are created for the fic.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright, this is my second time starting this fic. Looking back on the original now, I can honestly say that I'm not proud of it at all. Here's hoping you enjoy it.

**Prologue**

With a blinding flash of light, five figures emerged from the computer screen, falling on top of each other in a large heap. The figures were those of the Digidestined, and from looking at them, one could tell that they were exhausted to the point of collapse. They had just been through the fight of their lives, and, because of their fatigue, they didn't realize that one of their number was missing. 

Davis Motomiya, the leader of the Digidestined and, coincidentally, the one on the bottom of the pile, groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. His face was streaked with dirt and blood, yet his hair and trademark goggles, given to him by Tai Kamiya, the leader of the first generation of Digidestined, were completely untouched.

"We've got to find a way to soften these landings," he said with a chuckle. "Although, now I don't suppose we'll be going back to the Digi World anytime soon." The others laughed, but it was a hollow, unconvincing laugh. When they returned to the real world, they had to leave their Digimon partners behind. They had to leave their friends behind, and that's never an easy thing to do. They slowly untangled themselves, wincing in pain as they did so, and rose to their feet. As they dusted themselves off, a new figure entered the room. He was short for his age, with closely cropped orange-red hair. He smiled when he saw the Digidestined.

"I thought I heard you guys drop in," he said. Davis, fingering his torn jacket, scowled.

"That is _not_ funny, Izzy," he said. "This was my best jacket!"

"I think we can live with a torn jacket if it meant stopping MaloMyotismon." Everyone turned to see the owner of the last statement enter the room. Tai. His wild brown hair and cocky smirk were legendary among the girls and faculty of Odaiba Junior High. He moved forward and clapped Davis on the back.

"We're all very proud of you guys," he said. "You've carried on the tradition of the Digidestined as well as anyone could have expected." He looked at each of the younger Digidestined...and frowned. "Where's TK?" he asked. Davis' eyebrows rose.

"What do you mean?" he asked, turning to look behind him. "He's right..." He fell silent as he realized that Takeru Takaishi, the bearer of Hope, wasn't there. He looked at his fellow Digidestined with a stunned look on his face. "He was just here, wasn't he?" he asked. They all looked to one another, but no one had an answer. Kari Kamiya, Tai's little sister, crossed her arms across her chest and put her foot down.

"This is NOT funny, Takeru Takaishi!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with anxiety. When there was no answer, her knees weakened and, had Davis not caught her, she would have fallen to the floor. "This isn't funny," she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. Izzy sighed, shook his head and turned to where Tai was standing. He had moved to the other side of the classroom, talking on his cell phone, but with whom, Izzy wasn't sure. He was, however, able to hear Tai's last sentence before he hung up the phone.

"Get over here now. We have a problem."

- HS -

"You what!" Matt Ishida frantically shook Tai, not believing what he was hearing. Tai broke free of Matt's grip and brushed the dust off of his shirt. They were standing in the hallway a few metres from the door to the Computer Room. Having been at band practice when he got the call fifteen minutes prior, Matt's guitar case sat on the ground next to him, forgotten in the wake of the catastrophic revelation regarding his brother. He had been speeding like a bat out of hell to get to the school as quickly as humanly possible, and was surprised that he hadn't been stopped for speeding in the process.

"I told you already: we can't find TK. He didn't return with the rest of them. Izzy's trying to find him, but no luck," Tai replied, sighing. "Look, you go and see how Izzy's doing with the search, while I get word to the others." Matt took a deep breath and nodded, trying in vain to keep his temper in check. He walked swiftly back into the room while Tai retrieved his cell phone from his pocket in order to contact the rest of the older Digidestined. Izzy was working frantically at the computer, trying desperately to find out where TK was. The kids sat huddled in the far corner of the room in silence, no one having the courage to say a word.

"Any luck?" Matt asked. Izzy sighed and shook his head.

"My search isn't providing any hits on his whereabouts. I don't even know where to look," he replied, sending a brief glance in the direction of the kids. Matt turned and looked at the kids, feeling his teeth grind behind his lips. _How could they have left him back there! They claimed to be his friends! It should be one of them back there, not him! _Tai closed his phone, having just finished speaking with Joe Kido, and was now staring at his best friend, noticing Matt's fists tightening at his sides. He walked back into the room, placing a restraining hand on Matt's bicep. Matt's head spun quickly to lock eyes with Tai, his eyes burning with a fiery rage that Tai hadn't seen there in a long time.

"I know what you're thinking, man," he said, "but I'm not going to stand by and let you take this out on them. They're hurting just as much as you are. We all are." Matt dragged him roughly into the hallway.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Tai," he replied angrily. "This is their fault. They all had a part to play in that battle, and they all had a part to play in bringing each other home, the same as we did when we were in their position. This is their fault!" Inside the classroom, within earshot, the kids cringed at hearing Matt, someone they looked up to, degrading them the way he was. Tai shoved him strongly in the chest.

"Back off, Matt. I get that this is hitting you hard, but that's no excuse to be acting like an asshole. If you can't calm down then get the hell out of here. It doesn't help TK to berate and blame his friends and comrades for something that they had no control over." An almost-guttural growl escaped Matt's throat, and he took a step forward, taking a handful of Tai's shirt in his hand.

"If you were anyone else—" Tai's fist impacted heavily across his jaw, stopping him from finishing his statement. Matt fell to the ground, his hand moving instinctively to massage his sore jaw, glaring at Tai. If looks could kill, Tai would have been dead a hundred times over.

"Go pick up the others. They're waiting at the park." Matt's mouth opened as he pushed himself to his feet, a scathing retort already prepared, but Tai continued before he had a chance to let it loose. "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. You're not helping anybody in the state you're in. I don't want you coming back here until you're thinking with a level head." Tai could see the veins popping out of Matt's neck, and for a second he wasn't sure if he would go. After a few moments, though, Matt turned and stalked towards the stairs, fuming. Tai let out a sigh of relief, re-entering the room and walking over to Izzy.

"How's the search going?" he asked.

"Still nothing," Izzy replied. The sound of his fingers tapping the keyboard stopped. "This is hitting them hard, Tai. I think you should go talk to them. Try and reassure them." Tai nodded, patting him lightly on the back. _You've got the makings of a great leader, Izzy._ He glanced over at the kids, trying to decide whether it would be better to talk to them all at once or one at a time.

Yolei sat huddled next to Ken, sobbing quietly into his shirt as he held her in his arms, speaking softly in an attempt to comfort her. Cody sat opposite them, his knees pulled tightly into his chest, rocking back and forth in silence. Davis sat adjacent the other three, his wrists sitting limply on his knees, head leaned back and eyes closed. Tai's gaze swept across them, settling not there, but at the window, where Kari was now standing. She was staring vacantly upon the school's soccer field, trying her best to hold back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her.

He walked over to her, trying not to disturb the group. He tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling her flinch in surprise at the sudden contact. She turned her head back, tears glistening on her cheeks as she locked eyes with him.

"Sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's ok," she replied, wiping the tears from her eyes and turning back to stare out the window once more.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm ok."

"You're a terrible liar, oneichan," he said gently.

"I'm ok," she repeated, more forcefully this time. He sighed, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"Alright, I get it. If you want to talk, I'll be with Izzy." He turned to leave.

"Oniichan…" she whispered, the emotion evident in her voice. He turned back to her. "I'm scared." She began to sob as Tai pulled her close, letting her cry into his shirt. He stroked her light brown hair gently.

"Shh…it'll be alright. We'll find him, Hikari. I promise." As she stood in the shelter of his arms, he wondered if it was a promise that could be kept. _No,_ he thought angrily. _I'm not going to think like that. No matter how long it takes, no matter what has to be done…we're going to find you, Takeru._


End file.
